


The Coffee Dilemma

by dreamiesficfest, painttheworldinpastels



Series: Dear Dream - Dreamies Fic Fest (Second Wave) [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafes, Fluff, Jaemin's Super Black Coffee, M/M, Starbucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 05:21:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18462323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamiesficfest/pseuds/dreamiesficfest, https://archiveofourown.org/users/painttheworldinpastels/pseuds/painttheworldinpastels
Summary: Prompt Number: #DD125Jaemin is Hyuck's classmate who's always clutching a no-water americano with eight espresso shots. Hyuck's best friend Jeno, who works at the Starbucks branch Jaemin frequents, is very concerned for Jaemin's health.





	The Coffee Dilemma

**Author's Note:**

> Notes from the Author:  
> I was given lots of freedom with this because the prompt was literally just a request for a nahyuck with a dash of side ships, so here's a nahyuck! i hope you like it~

 

_Starbucks is the epitome of capitalism_ , Donghyuck thinks as he sips on his tall Very Berry Hibiscus and waits for his phone to connect to the free Wi-Fi, breathing in the distinctive scent of coffee and students' despair as they study for whatever requirements they have to submit later on. Actually, Hyuck is sure that he has a two-page reaction paper due tonight but he shrugs the thought away and takes another sip of his drink. He'll deal with that later.

  
When he is finally able to connect to the Wi-Fi he looks over to the counter, where his friend Jeno is manning the register and charming customers with his pretty eye smile so they'll leave a considerably large tip. He doesn't notice his other friend Mark come up to him and tap his shoulder

  
"Here's some more tissues." Mark hands him a wad of paper towels and Hyuck thanks him, turning his attention back to Jeno who was now taking a customer's order with an unfamiliar frown on his handsome face.

  
"Jeno looks distressed," Hyuck comments. 

  
Mark looks and takes a deep breath. "He always seems to be whenever that particular customer comes around."

  
Donghyuck examines the customer carefully. Tall, broad, with fluffy hair pushed back in a quiff. He turns his head to the side and Donghyuck gets glimpse of a face sculpted by the gods-

  
"Na Jaemin," Hyuck breathes out. Truly one of the most gorgeous people Donghyuck's ever seen, with his dark eyes and his high nose bridge and his clear skin despite the endless sleepless nights brought about by being a college student. If Donghyuck wasn't so shy, he would've asked Jaemin about his skincare routine.

  
"You know him, Hyuckie?"

  
Hyuck nods. "He sits next to me in my Psychology class, why do you ask?"

  
Mark looks him dead in the eye. "Does he usually have a cup of coffee when he comes to class?"

  
Donghyuck thinks for a bit. "Yes?"

  
"What kind of coffee?"

  
"Black coffee? Americano, I think? He usually comes to class sipping on one and he has an extra in his bag which he drinks after the first one's finished."

  
Mark sighs. "Jeno's worried for him, you know."

  
"Why?"

  
"Because that much coffee isn't good for anyone! Jeno thinks it will ruin his intestines or give him heartburn or something."

  
"And you're not worried?"

  
"Of course I am, I'm very worried! I'm especially concerned about my own well being since I'm the one who has to endure my boyfriend's rants about excessive coffee consumption and their adverse effects on the human body," Mark grumbles. "I swear to God, ever since I started dating Jeno everything I do has some sort of harm to it."

  
Hyuck rolls his eyes. "Tell me about it, wasn't he the one who attempted to get this particular Starbucks branch to go strawless to 'save the environment'?"

  
"He didn't succeed but he sure as hell almost did. No one can escape the eye smile I tell you, not even a manager as scary as Yuta."

  
They're interruped by a thwack on the back of Mark's head. The thwacker is identified as Scary Manager Yuta (who's not really that scary since he always gives Donghyuck a free muffin whenever Hyuck looks a bit down), and Yuta glowers at Mark. "Get back to work Lee, or you won't be working for the scary manager anymore."

  
Mark lowers his head in apology as Yuta moves back to wherever he came from. "Don't distract Mark too much, okay Hyuckie? He still needs to work off the sakura tumbler he broke a couple of days ago."

  
"He broke a what?"

  
Mark blanches. "It's not my fault! It just fell while I was sweeping near it!"

  
Yuta snorts. "Jungwoo said you knocked into the shelf."

  
"Jungwoo must have seen wrong. Why is one pink tumbler so damn expensive anyway?" Mark tries to move away but Yuta flicks his forehead.

  
"That one pink tumbler is a from the limited sakura collection which came all the way from Japan, kid. Now I have to buy a new one, which is expensive by itself, and have it shipped all the way from there to here and have it pass through customs and have them tax me, which is an absolute pain. Now get back to work before I decide to put you on the shelf instead." Mark nods aggressively and Yuta finally leaves.

  
Donghyuck smiles at Mark. "You know, I kind of want a sakura tumbler.”

  
"Great! You can buy one! I'm sure Yuta has extras for sale, he's just upset because the one I broke is the most expensive one."

  
"So you admit that you broke it?"

  
Mark shrugs. "Accidents happen."

  
Hyuck pouts at Mark. "Won't you buy one for your favorite dongsaeng?"

  
Mark snorts. "I'm pretty sure Chenle can buy one for himself."

  
Mark's remark is met with a pinch in his lower arm. "Aren't I your favorite?"

  
"No."

  
Donghyuck is so engrossed in arguing with Mark that he almost doesn't notice Jaemin leave if not for Jaemin waving at him before stepping outside. Hyuck feels his heart stop for a bit; he wasn't even aware Jaemin had noticed him. Hyuck smiles and waves back, and Mark notices. "Hey, Hyuckie."

  
Donghyuck hums and looks back at Mark, who looks thoughtful. Mark bites his lip before speaking. "Do you think you could talk to him? Jaemin? The americano guy? Tell him to slow down a bit on the coffee?"

  
Donghyuck stares at Mark, who was chewing on his bottom lip, and brings his gaze back towards the counter to look at Jeno, who was staring after Jaemin sadly. And as Jeno's best friend, Donghyuck declared years ago that Jeno should never be sad, ever.

  
"Alright, I'll ask him."   
  


 

  
Which proves easier said than done, because the next time Donghyuck sees Jaemin he looks like he hasn't slept in days. Jaemin gulps down his coffee like it was the only thing keeping him alive (which might actually be the case) and asks Donghyuck for a pen.

  
"I must have left my pencil case back at the dorm, we have a Trig test later and I was cramming for it but I somehow fell asleep and woke up late and didn't have enough time to get ready so I just shoved everything on my desk into my bag but apparently all of my writing materials weren't included because the world wants to screw me over-" Jaemin rambles as Hyuck gives him two pens, a pencil, an eraser, and a sharpener just in case.

  
"It's fine, you don't have to explain yourself, good luck on your test later!" Hyuck tells him. Jaemin visibly relazes and shoots Hyuck a dazzling grin and Donghyuck immediately thinks it's unfair for someone to be so good looking even when frazzled.

  
Jaemin rushes out the door the minute class is dismissed with a promise to Donghyuck that he'll return everything he'd borrowed the next day but honestly, Donghyuck doesn't mind if he doesn't give them back.   
  


 

  
The next day, Donghyuck bursts into class five minutes before it starts and rushes to his seat beside Jaemin. He'd set an alarm the night before but his phone was set on silent; not even vibrate, just silent. And so Donghyuck was panting and frantically uncapping his water bottle so he could drink and calm down a bit.

  
Jaemin looks at him with pity as he places the things he borrowed yesterday on Hyuck's desk. "You okay?"

  
"Perfectly fine," Donghyuck coughs as some water goes down his air pipe. Jaemin pats his back while Donghyuck tries to collect himself before the professor comes. "I'm so tired," Donghyuck tells Jaemin offhandedly as he lays his head down on the table.

  
Jaemin purses his lips and offers Donghyuck his coffee cup. "Want a sip?"

  
Donghyuck eyes it with trepidation. Jaemin's coffee is so...black.

  
"Uhm." Donghyuck debates on how to politely tell Jaemin his coffee looks like literal death, and eventually he comes up with, "I'm not fond of black coffee, sorry."

  
Jaemin grinned at him. "S'okay, I get that a lot. You think it's horrible, don't you?"

  
"It doesn't look very appetizing, true. Are americanos supposed to be that dark?"

  
"Nah, but this one has no water and four extra shots of espresso."

  
Donghyuck gapes at him. "No water?"

  
"And four additional shots of espresso."

  
"Four?!?!"

  
"Six times a day," Jaemin smiles, leaning back into his seat.

  
Donghyuck is dumbfounded. "Jesus, so that's why Jeno was so worried about you."

  
Jaemin's eyebrows furrow. "The Starbucks barista? You know him?"

  
"Yeah, he's my friend. And he's taken, by the way."

  
"I didn't ask." Jaemin's dazzling smile makes another appearance and Donghyuck wants to get rid of it very much. Seeing that smile makes him feel things.

  
Hyuck clears his throat. "Anyway, too much coffee is bad for you."

  
"I know," Jaemin shrugs. "I welcome death. Any kind of rest sounds really good right now."

  
Donghyuck can't argue with that. "Big mood, actually."

  
Before Donghyuck can come up with another argument as to why Jaemin should stop consuming so much caffeine, their professor comes in and announces a surprise quiz. And thus the Coffee Dilemma is put on hold until further notice.

 

  * °○▪○°•



  
"Remind me to never bet against you demons ever again," Donghyuck grumbles as he reluctantly walks in Starbucks' direction.

  
Chenle grins, wide and taunting. "Not our fault you somehow decided that Yukhei was a wimp. The guy's like seven feet tall, he's very much capable of asking Renjun on a date."

  
Jisung smiles. "I wonder what's the most expensive thing on the menu," he sing-songs obnoxiously, linking arms with Chenle as they walk ahead of Donghyuck.

  
"You look stressed," Jeno smiles as Hyuck leans against the counter once they get inside. There aren't lots of customers at the moment and the shop is pretty quiet, which unfortunately gives Chenle and Jisung all the time they need to wreak havoc on Donghyuck's wallet.

  
"Tell Mark to tell Yukhei that I'm unfriending him from my social media accounts and from my life," Hyuck says to Jeno dramatically, glaring as Chenle asks Jungwoo what syrup flavors are available today.

  
"Is this about that bet you made with them? Because I told you that you weren't gonna win-"

  
Jeno stops when an arm suddenly snakes over Hyuck's shoulders. Donghyuck turns and sees Jaemin wink at him as he turns to Jeno.

  
"One venti americano-"

  
"Stop. Please don't say it. We'll make it for you but please don't ever say your order out loud ever again," Jeno pleads with Jaemin, motioning for Jungwoo to move and make Jaemin's drink as quickly as possible.

  
"Sheesh, tough crowd." He still hasn't removed his arm from Donghyuck's shoulders and Hyuck wonders if he should bring it up. "And you, Hyuck? What do you want?"

  
Jaemin's arm feels heavy and it's all Donghyuck can focus on. "What do you mean?"

  
"A drink, Hyuck. Which one do you want? I'll pay for it."

  
Donghyuck snaps out of his daze. "Nothing! I mean, I don't really want anything, I'm just here to chaperone the kids."

 

“Kids?" Jaemin asks and Hyuck points to Chenle and Jisung, who were standing in front of the pastry display case. "Hey, I didn't say anything about muffins," Donghyuck says loudly.

  
"First of all, we were looking at scones, not muffins. Second of all," Chenle bounces towards him and tilts his head a bit, trying to act cute. "Pwease?"

  
"...two scones and two drinks, nothing more."

 

Chenle grins, satisfied with Donghyuck's answer, and shoots Jisung a thumbs up.

  
"So," Jaemin starts, and Donghyuck shifts his attention back Jaemin. "You really don't want anything?"

  
"Not really, I just had breakfast. Did you?”

  
Jaemin smiles sheepishly. "I don't usually eat breakfast."

  
Donghyuck frowns at him. "You're kidding. You have coffee first thing in the morning?"

  
"Isn't that normal though?"

  
"I don't know, but I drink coffee _with_  breakfast, not in place of it." Donghyuck shakes Jaemin's arm off and drags him over to the pastries. "Pick one, I'm paying."

  
Jaemin smiles again and Donghyuck wonders why. Why must a human being be so gorgeous? Why must said gorgeous human being be so nice and sweet? Why is Na Jaemin such an angel with no qualms as to his health?

  
"Don't worry about me, I'll buy something for takeout later. Okay?"

  
"Okay," Donghyuck says softly as Jaemin watches Jungwoo prepare his coffee with an intensity Donghyuck had never seen Jaemin possess. Hyuck watches Jungwoo pour in an espresso shot, and another espresso shot, and another shot, and another…

  
"Wait, so an americano has how many espresso shots, exactly?"

  
Jaemin takes his hawk eyes away from Jungwoo's hands and faces Donghyuck. "A venti americano has four shots of espresso initially, so my coffee order is supposed to have four plus my extra four shots," Jaemin stares pointedly at Jungwoo, who gifts Jaemin an angelic smile, "but Jeno occasionally manages to convince Jungwoo over here to decrease the number of shots."

  
"Ohmygod, you drink eight shots of espresso straight."

  
Jaemin smiles, no teeth but all swagger. "I'm still alive, aren't I?"

  
"Not for long!" Honestly Donghyuck thought that Jeno (and Mark) were overreacting about Jaemin's coffee intake because at some point in every college student's life you just want to drown yourself in caffeine, but now. Now, Donghyuck understands. Now, Donghyuck is more determined than ever to get Jaemin to cut down on the extra espresso shots, at the very least.

  
Just when he thinks that's the only problem he has to face, he hears Chenle say "one vanilla bean frappuccino with one pump of every syrup".

  
Hyuck leaves Jaemin's side and stomps up to Chenle. "Chenle, my child. What the hell."

  
"They don't charge for extra syrup!"

  
"We do if you're ordering one of everything," Jungwoo mumbles from behind a coffee machine, and Chenle grins like the devil child Donghyuck knows he is. "Not our problem."

  
Jisung nods enthusiastically beside Chenle and Hyuck admits defeat. "Alright, fine, order whatever you want, get a cake if you like."

  
Jisung's eyes widen. "Really?!"

  
"No. Tell Jeno your drink order and go," Donghyuck sticks his tongue out at Jisung and ignores the look of disappointment on his face.

  
As Jisung replaces Chenle in front of the counter, Jungwoo calls out Jaemin's name. Jungwoo hands Jaemin his coffee with a sincere smile on his face. "Sorry about Jeno, he means well, he really does! But please do think about decreasing your coffee intake, it's getting quite concerning."

  
"I'll keep that in mind, thank you," Jaemin smiles back as he takes the cup and sidles up next to Donghyuck. "You sure you don't want anything?"

  
"I'm good," Hyuck frowns as Jaemin starts drinking. "Do you always order that?"

  
"I believe we've had this conversation before, Donghyuck."

  
"Always? Like, always? You haven't tried anything else?"

  
Jaemin looks at him curiously. "Why do you ask?"

  
"Answer the question, Na."

  
Jaemin sighs. "No, and I don't intend to, thank you very much. I'll see you in class," He ruffles Hyuck's hair as he turns to leave.

  
"Yeah, see you and your drink of doom tomorrow."

  
Jaemin pauses and lets out another sigh. "It's not that bad! Here," Jaemin holds out his coffee towards Donghyuck. "Try it."

  
"I don't want to die yet, Jaemin."

  
Jaemin rolls his eyes. "It's not tar, Hyuck."

  
"Might as well be," Donghyuck mumbles, but he takes the plastic cup from Jaemin anyway. 

  
Hyuck takes deep breath. Here goes nothing.

  
He takes a sip, and promptly thrusts the cup back into Jaemin's hands with a little cough. "Ohmygod, that's so bitter."

  
"But it's not that bad, right?"

  
Donghyuck stares at him like he's grown a second head. "You do realize that this is enough caffeine to poison a small animal, right?"

  
"You still seem pretty fine, though," Jaemin teases.

  
"I'm not short!" Hyuck whacks Jaemin's arm but all Jaemin does is coo at him. "Hyuckie, I'm a whole head taller than you," he says as he places his coffee on top of Donghyuck's head.

  
Hyuck shakes away both the cup and the tingly feeling he suddenly gets at the affectionate way Jaemin says his name. "Excuse me, I am of average height," Hyuck asserts.

  
"Sure you are."

  
Donghyuck would argue more but he hears Chenle let out a short squeal. He immediately rushes over to ask what's wrong, but Jisung just looks at him apologetically as Chenle picks something off the ground.

  
"I knocked over a strawberry scone, don't worry hyung, I'll pay for it!" He turns to Chenle. "I'm sorry, you should probably wash your hands now."

  
"Will do," Chenle smiles softly at Jisung to let him know that everything's fine and the whole exchange is so sweet and wholesome that Hyuck backtracks and seriously considers buying them a cake like Jisung wanted.

  
However, when Chenle disappears into the washroom the atmosphere changes and a look of determination is etched deeply on Jisung's face. "Hyung, can I have Chenle's cup now please?" Jisung holds out his hand and Jeno gives him a venti cup and a marker.

  
Donghyuck gives Jeno a look. "What's going on?"

  
Jeno shrugs. "I don't know, but Jisung asked me not to write Chenle's name on the cup just yet.”

  
"Sungie?" Hyuck reaches out to touch Jisung's shoulder but Jisung ignores him and starts scrawling on the cup. Jisung shields it with his body so no one can see what he's writing down and Donghyuck snickers. "What are you trying to do this time?"

  
Jisung shushes him and returns the marker to Jeno, blowing on the cup to help the ink dry faster. He hesitates, but he slowly puts the cup on the counter for everyone to see.

  
In Jisung's messy script is written, "For Chenle. Will you be my boyfriend? -Gsung".

  
Donghyuck lets out a shriek and Jeno's eyes widen so much they threaten to bulge out of his head. "Jisung! Ohmygod, Jisung that is the cheesiest confession I have ever seen. I love it!" Donghyuck pulls Jisung into a hug while Jisung splutters.

  
Jeno gives Jisung a bright smile. "You know Sungie, I've seen a lot of romantic exchanges happen here but this. Wait 'til Mark hears about this," Jeno is pulling out his phone as he speaks, typing out a message in all caps to his boyfriend.

  
"All the interesting things always happen on Mark's days off," Jungwoo notes, looking over to see what Jeno's typing. "Jen, tell him to quit so it's not so boring around here."

  
Jeno swats at him but types in Jungwoo's words anyway, adding the winky-face-with-the-tongue-sticking-out emoji so Mark knows that they're joking.

  
Donghyuck squishes Jisung tighter in his embrace. "So you're not really gonna pay for the scone you dropped."

  
"But you lost the bet, hyung," Jisung smiles cheekily at him, handing the cup to Jungwoo so he can fill it with Chenle's drink. At the same time, Chenle walks out of the restroom and does a double-take at seeing Donghyuck curled up around Jisung like a koala bear clinging on to a tree branch. "Did I miss something?" He asks as he waits for Jungwoo to finish pumping syrups into his drink.

  
Jisung pats Donghyucks's hands and lowers himself slightly so Donghyuck can get off of him without having to jump. "Absoulely nothing, go wait for your drink Lele," Hyuck casts a wicked smile at him and Jisung elbows Hyuck hard enough to make him wobble, but an arm reaches out to steady him. Hyuck looks up to see Jaemin's sweet smile directed at him. "You alright?"

  
Donghyuck nods slowly. "I thought you already left?"

  
"And miss this? Not a chance," Jaemin smiles fondly in Jisung's direction. "Your kids are cute."

  
"I'm cuter," Hyuck says out of instinct and he promptly slaps a hand over his mouth. He starts to apologize for sounding conceited but he's interrupted by a low chuckle. "Well, you're not wrong," Jaemin smirks at him. Donghyuck wills the ground to swallow him whole, right now please.

  
They watch as Jungwoo gives Chenle his frappuccino. Chenle drinks it without minding what's written on the cup, and when it's a quarter empty Jisung's patience wears out and he asks Chenle to "please just read the writing, please Lele PLEASE". What comes next is a sound so high pitched it almost hurt Hyuck's ears and Chenle latching onto Jisung the same way Hyuck did earlier, only this time Jisung welcomes it happily.

  
Donghyuck taps Jeno's arm repeatedly, causing him to look up from his conversation with Mark. "Jen, add two cake slices to the tab, different flavors so they can be cute and feed each other and all that sappy stuff." Jeno nods immediately and texts Mark a quick goodbye before discussing with Jungwoo which cake flavors to give them to maximize the romance aspect.

  
Throughout all of this Donghyuck still feels like there's something he still needs to do, and the answer comes in the form of Na Jaemin sipping on his angsty americano. Jaemin's eyes drift towards the menu board, towards all the different drinks available, and Hyuck gets an idea. It might be a stupid idea, but it couldn't hurt to try, could it?

  
"I haven't tried most of the things on the Starbucks menu," Hyuck says slowly, catching Jaemin's attention. "I kind of want to, though."

  
Jaemin tilts his head a bit. "That sounds fun," he says gently. Everything about Jaemin is gentle, it seems, from his tone to his voice to his smile to his gaze to the way he chews on his straw. Even the way he flirts is gentle. Donghyuck is overwhelmed.

  
Hyuck clears his throat and gathers all the courage he has. "Why don't we do it together?"

  
"Are you asking me out on a date?"

  
"No! Just...like a weekly coffee run?" Donghyuck says lamely, lowering his head. He's prepared for Jaemin to turn his offer down in the gentlest and nicest way possible because Jaemin is possibly the nicest person he knows-

  
"Let's do it."

  
Donghyuck's head whips up so fast he almost feels dizzy. "Really?" He winces at how high his voice sounds and tries again. "I mean, really? You'll do it? You don't have to say yes you know, it's kind of a stupid idea."

  
"It's not," Jaemin refutes. "It really does sound fun. Though my wallet might not enjoy it as much as I would."

  
"Well if you can afford several cups of <i>that thing</i> per day," Hyuck wrinkles his nose at the drink Jaemin's holding, "then I don't think that will be a problem."

  
"Ah, so this is your way of getting me to order something else."

  
"Hasn't anyone tried to persuade you at one point?"

  
Jaemin snickers. "Touché."

  
"So you'll do it?" Hyuck asks Jaemin again just to be sure, gesturing with towards the Starbucks menu board. "No backing out? You promise to do this with me?"

  
Jaemin takes one of Donghyuck's hands and lightly swings it around. "Yeah, I'll give your devious plan to decrease my love for americanos a shot."

  
"How many shots?" Hyuck jokes, and Jaemin brings the hand he's holding to his lips and presses a kiss against the back of it, like a prince would. Donghyuck supposes that Jaemin could pass for one anyway.

  
He smiles at Donghyuck, a shining toothpaste-commercial smile which rivals all the smiles Hyuck has seen on cartoon princes, and tells him, "As many as I can stomach. Which is a lot."

 

  
  
When Jaemin leaves, Donghyuck turns to Jeno. "So how much is all this," he gestures to Chenle and Jisung, who were now seated in a booth and happily munching on their cakes, "gonna cost me?"

  
Jeno smiles widely, eyes disappearing into crescents. It seems bigger than his usual grin, very much teasing. "Don't worry about that."

  
Hyuck returns his grin. "Did you feel sorry for me and decide to cover everything because you love me?"

  
Jeno shakes his head. "Nope, but Jaemin did."

  
"What?"

  
"Jaemin already paid for it," Jeno shows him the receipt, paid with Jaemin's credit card. Donghyuck doesn't know how he even did it, considering he was with Jaemin half the time.

  
"Gimme that," Hyuck tries to take the receipt from Jeno so he can note down the amount the needs to pay Jaemin back but Jeno crumples the sheet of paper and stuffs it in his apron. "No can do, Hyuckie, Jaem said not to tell you."

  
"Oh, so you're on a nickname basis now? Last I heard you were trying to purge him of caffeine."

  
Jeno rolls his eyes. "You're complaining about me but weren't you two the ones being all lovey-dovey with the really old arm-around-shoulders move and the hand holding? And don't get me started on that kiss at the back of your hand, that's some Disney crap right there."

  
Hyuck swoons. "I know, right? But none of those were planned, I swear! I'm still in mild shock."

  
Jeno's smile turns softer, his gaze conveying a secret. "You like him, don't you?"

  
Donghyuck doesn't answer him. He can't find it in himself to say no, but he can't admit it out loud either because that would make it real. And he _really_  doesn't want to deal with feelings right now, especially since he's just potentially asked Jaemin out.

  
Jeno understands the silence, and gives Hyuck's hand a small squeeze. "You're doing the Lord's Work, Hyuckie," Jeno says, changing the subject. "If you manage to get him to cut down the six cups per day to three or less, I'll make sure to find you some coupons or something."

  
"And what makes you think I'll want coupons? I don't even like Starbucks," Donghyuck grumbles.

  
Jeno pats his hand gently. "Donghyuck, sweetie, if your proposed weekly coffee dates go well, you'll be thanking me for every discount you can get."

  *   
°○▪○°•



 

Surprisingly, Donghyuck's stupid idea doesn't crash and burn like he thought it would. He and Jaemin exchange phone numbers when they see each other in class the day after Jisung's confession, and Jaemin actually shows up when they agree to go back to Starbucks on a Saturday. They go for tall drinks instead of ventis - because ordering a large quantity of a flavor they've never tasted and didn't know if they would like is not a smart move for broke college students - and they let each other take sips of their respective drinks so they can judge them promptly. So far, Donghyuck likes Pink Drink the best and Jaemin seems to be very fond of Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew (Donghyuck finds it quite odd that someone who thrives off black coffee would enjoy something so sugary and sweet, but seeing the way Jaemin's face lit up the first time he tried it was a delight to see).

  
It becomes a regular thing. Every week, Donghyuck and Jaemin meet up to try something off of the menu. They order a different drink each and have the other take a sip before trying it for themselves, and if they like the other's drink better then they switch. It continues for weeks, stretching into months, and halfway through the semester Donghyuck finds himself scrounging around his dorm for loose change and shying away from spending money unnecessarily in anticipation of his weekly weekend not-dates with Jaemin.

  
Jaemin's americano consumption decreases from six cups a day to just two per day, and Jeno stays true to his promise and showers Hyuck with promos and discount coupons. Donghyuck's wallet is grateful for it.

  
Donghyuck and Jaemin have never really talked outside of class before the coffee runs started. They would smile and nod at each other in the hallways, sometimes ask each other if there were any assignments they might have forgotten. Since they've been spending more time together now, he's gotten to know more about Jaemin. Hyuck finds out that Jaemin's an only child, that he likes stuffed toys and keeps a huge Ryan plushie by his bed, and that he was hospitalized for a back injury once. He also finds out that Jaemin and Renjun know each other, and that Renjun gave him sugar cubes for his last birthday (the gesture was appreciated, Jaemin assured him).

  
He's even found the gall to ask about his skincare routine and was met with disappointment when Jaemin answered that he really doesn't do anything special. Honestly, Donghyuck didn't believe him but due to Jaemin's persistence and a nighttime video call to confirm (which Donghyuck definitely did not enjoy, nope), he eventually accepted it. He still feels scammed - how can a person look that gorgeous without a definite skincare regimen? - but Jaemin let Hyuck feel his face once to prove that he wasn't putting extra things on it and it was possibly one of the most heart-stopping moments of Donghyuck's life.

  
The most important thing that Hyuck found out about Jaemin, however, is that he is very much into skinship. Whenever they're together, in public or in private, Jaemin has his arm around Hyuck's shoulders or around his waist. They play footsie under the table when they're not seated next to each other, and when they are usually there's little space between them. Sometimes they hold hands. Donghyuck doesn't give much meaning to it, and he most certainly is not complaining.

  
For today's coffee run, Jaemin opts for a Cinnamon Dolce Latte and Hyuck orders a Green Tea Cream Frappuccino. They're sitting in the booth nearest the window, the booth with a view, the booth where the cliche dramatic scenes happen. Donghyuck tries to ignore the fact that this scene in front of him right now, a coffee date with his crush, looks like it came straight out of one of those cheesy romance novels.

  
"You always order the boring coffee-free ones," Jaemin makes fun of Hyuck's drink choice as he takes a long sip of it. Hyuck had already tasted Jaemin's drink, and there was so much sugar in it that Donghyuck couldn't get past the first sip without downing two cups of water.

  
"Would you believe me if I say that coffee stunts your growth?"

  
"Is that what happened to you, then?"

  
Donghyuck flicks some crumbs at Jaemin. "You're not all that tall, you know."

  
"Remember that time your kid confessed to your other kid? When you practically forced him to give you a piggyback ride out of excitement, he had to bend so low just to help you get down."

  
"Jisung is taller than you though! Jisung's taller than everyone!"

  
"At least my feet touch the ground when I hug someone."

  
Donghyuck crumbles the bite-sized bagel portion he's eating to fling at Jaemin, but before he can someone ruffles his hair and gives him a little push so he would make room for the newcomer.

  
Yukhei plops himself down next to Donghyuck while Renjun slides in next to Jaemin and introduces Yukhei to Jaemin. "Sorry for intruding on your date," Renjun says conversationally as he breaks off a piece of Donghyuck's bagel off and eats it, "but Jungwoo said Xuxi's drink would take around ten to fifteen minutes to make and there weren't any available seats left."

  
Jaemin chokes on his drink and Donghyuck's face heats up. "We're not on a date-"

  
Mark swings by the table then and interrupts Donghyuck's explanation by doing a bro fist bump thing with Yukhei. He glances at Jaemin's coffee cup and lets out a coy smile. "Hyuckie, I see you've managed to get Jaemin to cut down his americano intake. So that's why the espresso stock wasn't as depleted as usual," Mark jokes as he puts a sizeable pile of tissues in the middle of the table, and Jaemin rolls his eyes good-naturedly, returning Donghyuck's drink and taking a long gulp of his latte.

  
"Don't you have work to do?" Donghyuck shoos Mark away and Mark glowers at him but leaves anyway. Renjun takes another bit of Donghyuck's bagel and though Hyuck tries to swat his hand away, Renjun is too quick and too hungry.

  
Yukhei shakes his head fondly. "Babe, just buy one for yourself."

  
Renjun stares at him. "Buy one for me."

  
Yukhei immediately stands up and pats Donghyuck's head like one would a puppy. He hears someone mutter "cute" under their breath, but he dismisses it immediately. Renjun would never admit to finding anything Donghyuck-related adorable and Jaemin...Hyuck doesn't want to think about it.

  
Jaemin elbows Renjun. "He calls you babe?"

  
"Shut up, don't tell me you don't have pet names for each other."

  
"We don't. Junnie, we're not-"

  
"He's my cute choco ball," Jaemin butts in, showing Renjun something on his phone. "It's what I saved him as on my phone. Look at his contact photo, isn't he adorable?"

  
They fiddle with Jaemin's phone for a while, completely ignoring Donghyuck save for the judgmental looks Renjun throws him before Jaemin pulls his head back down to stare at his phone screen some more.

  
Lucas comes back to the table with two cream cheese bagels, putting one on Donghyuck's almost empty plate which Yukhei pushes to the center of the table and the other one inside a takeout bag. "Did I miss anything?"

  
"They won't pay attention to me," Donghyuck pouts. "And Renjun ate half of my bagel."

  
"I'll buy you a new one," Jaemin offers as he pockets his phone but Yukhei motions for him to sit still. "They only had two left and I bought the last ones, it will take a while for them to bake a fresh batch."

  
Renjun snickers. "' _Bake a fresh batch_ ', please, I've seen Jungwoo shove the previous day's leftovers into a toaster and voilà," he picks up the newly bought bagel and takes a big bite.

  
Yukhei takes an unsolicited sip of Donghyuck's drink. "So, what were you guys talking about before we got here?"

  
"Oh you know, the weather, the dangers of excessive caffeine consumption, those kinds of things."

  
Jaemin scoffs. "Jeno would throttle you for believing side effects from Wikipedia instead of a professional."

  
"First of all, it was Yahoo Answers, not Wikipedia. And by professional, you mean a sad, broke, Bio major currently receiving a five dollar tip for making that lady's baby stop crying?" All four heads turn towards the counter to see Jeno holding on to the baby's hand to say goodbye.

  
The entire table goes extremely soft for the way the baby says "buh-bye" and waves at Jeno with a toothy smile. They don't notice Jungwoo calling out Renjun and Yukhei's names, and eventually Mark comes up to them again with their drinks in to-go cups, a glaring Jungwoo staring straight into their souls while applying a perfect layer of whipped cream on a frappuccino.

  
Renjun and Yukhei decide to bail soon after, making sure to pass by Jungwoo, who threatens them with the strawberry syrup dispenser. Donghyuck receives a text from Renjun a few minutes after they leave.

  
**he has a bagillion pics of u** , Renjun's text reads. **istg if i dont hear you gushing abt how hes ur bf by the end of this day, im gonna pour your starbucks drink all over your head the next time i see u**.

  
Donghyuck puts his phone on the table facedown. It's awkward now, their usual banter and conversation nowhere to be found. Donghyuck scarfs down what remains of his bagel to avoid Jaemin's gaze, but he can feel Jaemin's eyes on him as he cleans his hand with some tissues and takes a sip of his frappuccino.

  
Jaemin is still staring at him, one hand swishing his coffee cup around. "Donghyuck."

  
Hyuck takes a metaphorical deep breath and makes a noise of acknowledgement, steeling himself for whatever serious topic Jaemin wanted to talk about.

  
Neither of them say anything for a few minutes, and the silence is terribly uncomfortable. Jaemin takes a sip of his latte before putting it down and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Donghyuck."

  
"That's me," Hyuck says weakly, waiting for Jaemin to continue.

  
Jaemin doesn't say anything more and continues to stare at him.

  
"Well?" Donghyuck is getting impatient. What could possibly be grave enough to elicit-

  
"Donghyuck, is this a date?"

  
Hyuck's eyes widen and he splutters out incoherent words. Jaemin just looks at him, his gaze expectant.

  
"No?" Donghyuck finally manages to say after a while. "It's not a date?"

  
"You sound unsure."

  
"It's not!" Donghyuck's voice is getting higher in pitch, and the tips of his ears are turning red. "It's, uh, a friendly outing! Between friends!”   
"Just as friends?"

  
"YES," Hyuck's blushing, his entire face red now. "Friends! Friends who slowly make their way through the Starbucks menu together! But not like, together, you know? Friends who are together but separate! Together at the moment but they're not together-together! Not dating! Single! FRIENDS."

  
Jaemin is still staring at him, his fingers dancing on the lid of his coffee cup. "Friends."

  
"Yes, friends! Acquaintances. Comrades. Buddies. Pals. Compadres. Amigos. I'm running out of synonyms but this is not a date and we are not dating and this is something that friends usually do! Friends hang out together. In a friendly way. As friends!"

  
"Friends," Jaemin repeats as we picks up his cup and drinks all of its contents in one go. Donghyuck winces.

  
Jaemin taps the empty cup against the table. "Well then."

  
Donghyuck is confused when Jaemin offers his hand to help him stand up. He takes it and they walk out of Starbucks together, Hyuck's hand still in Jaemin's.

  
"Where are we going?"

  
Jaemin lets out a deep sigh. "Well, since that was just a friendly activity I suppose we'll have to find something else to do."

  
"Huh?"

  
Jaemin stops and whirls around to face Donghyuck, expression soft but his eyes filled with determination. "Not gonna lie, I did not think you would be this dense. It's kind of cute but it's really not helping right now."

  
Donghyuck can't say anything because he doesn't know what the hell is going on. All that registers in his brain is the fact that Jaemin called him cute.

  
Jaemin smiles. It's a soft smile, not like his teasing toothpaste ad smiles, not like his cocky smirks. It's the smile Donghyuck sees on Jaemin when he thinks Hyuck isn't looking. It's a special smile, and right now it's directed at him. Hyuck is still a bit overwhelmed, but his brain starts processing things again. "Did you want this to be...unfriendly?"

  
"Romantic is the term, I believe." Jaemin starts walking again, and since Hyuck's hand is still attached to Jaemin's he follows along.

  
Donghyuck still can't believe it. "Are you sure?" 

  
"Hyuckie, do you think I'd spend so much time with you if I didn't like you?"

  
"I don't know, I thought it was just because you were too nice to say no. Like, a friendly thing to do."

  
"Don't get me wrong, you are an amazing friend," Jaemin pulls Donghyuck a little bit closer to him and slides an arm around his shoulders, like he's done so many times, "but I want to know how you'd be as a boyfriend, too."

  
Donghyuck blushes but attempts to maintain his dignity anyway. "How cheesy."

  
"Like a cream cheese bagel?" 

  
"That I didn't get to enjoy because Renjun ate most of it," Hyuck laments.

  
"Well then, let's get you another one. My friend's brother owns a bakery, I think you'll like it there. Perfect place for a first date."

  
"Why, because food is the way to a person's heart?"

  
Jaemin's Special Smile comes out in full force. "Maybe, but also because you'll be there with me."

  *   
°○▪○°•



  
"So how's the taken life treating you?" Jeno asks as he hands Donghyuck his change. It's a weekday night and there's not a lot of customers left. Jaemin has reverted back to consuming monstrous amounts of his cursed drink and Donghyuck just lets him because exams are around the corner and they need all the caffeine they can get. Right now, Jaemin is staring Jungwoo down as he counts how much espresso is added to his americanos.

  
"To be honest, since I do affectionate stuff with you guys anyway, it doesn't really feel any different. But the spontaneous smooches are nice."

  
"Yuck." Jeno dodges the punch Donghyuck aims at him and asks Jungwoo to make the strawberry acai Donghyuck ordered. "How's the Starbucks Menu Adventure going?"

  
"Pretty well, we're more than halfway through your overpriced drinks." Donghyuck makes to move towards Jaemin, who was already a quarter of the way finished with one of the three americanos he's ordered, but Jeno stops him.

  
"You know you can ask for random drinks, right?"

  
"What?”

  
Jeno has a twinkle in his eyes. "You can ask the staff to randomize a drink for you. A surprise drink of sorts."

  
"And you're only telling me this now because?"

  
"Because the fond look on Jaemin's face when you eenie-meenie your drink of the day is too precious to lose."

 

Donghyuck sneaks a peek at Jaemin. He’s walking towards the trash dispenser to throw the first coffee cup away and he’s already slipped a straw into his second cup. “He did the staring even before we started dating?”

 

“Please, there was one time he was too busy looking at you with that stupid dopey look on his face to notice that he’d squished his cup too tight and he spilled the coffee. Mark was not pleased.”

 

Hyuck smiles. “That’s cute.”

 

“But you’re cuter?” Jeno fully expects Donghyuck to say yes, but Donghyuck surprises him by saying, “No, he’s definitely the cutest.” Hyuck is staring at Jaemin and Jaemin stares right back, and Jungwoo is calling for Hyuck to come get his drink but none of them bat an eye. Poor Jungwoo.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i have nothing against people who drink black coffee on the regular! i salute you for stomaching the bitterness but remember that too much of everything is bad!  
> disclaimer: though i have been to starbucks and have ordered multiple (overpriced) drinks from them i have absolutely no idea what i am talking about here, i'm hoping that no starbucks branches really just stuff leftovers in a toaster to serve to customers the next day! i just really wanted to write a coffee shop au despite not being a coffee drinker lol. i had a lot of fun writing and doing research for this, i hope you had a lot of fun reading it too!


End file.
